Contact Form
You will need to bring your insurance card and physician’s referral (if necessary). There will be a few papers to read and sign prior to your evaluation and treatment. It will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete the paperwork. Please bring reading glasses if you need them! Please dress comfortably to move around the treatment area. If we are evaluating your shoulder, please wear a short-sleeve shirt or tank top. For your hip or knee, shorts would be helpful. It helps a great deal if we can see the body part to assess skin color, temperature, swelling, sensation, etc. We have a private space for changing clothes if needed.
After the evaluation, a plan of care will be developed. The plan of care typically involves a home exercise program (yes, exercise!) to supplement the office treatments. The home exercise program is designed to give you something to do at home to provide pain relief and increase strength or range of motion, depending on your needs. Actively participating in physical therapy by completing your home exercise program as prescribed greatly increases your success with physical therapy and decreases the chance of the particular injury reoccurring.
Sometimes, the physical therapy evaluation determines that physical therapy is not appropriate. Some medical conditions can act like muscle or joint problems, such as headaches, cancer, Lyme disease, kidney stones, etc. If your physical therapist believes physical therapy is not appropriate at this time, a referral will be made to another healthcare provider, such as your primary care physician, orthopedist, or neurologist. In some cases, a referral may be made along with continuing physical therapy for appropriate treatment.
Most insurances do not require a physician’s referral. That means if you feel physical therapy is appropriate for your injury and you don’t require a physician’s intervention first (like an antibiotic, x-ray, etc.). If you are unsure if you need a referral, call the office or your insurance company directly.